Footnotes

The series for consumer credit outstanding and
its components may contain breaks that result from discontinuities in
source data.
Percent changes are adjusted to exclude the effect of such breaks. In
addition, percent changes are at a simple annual rate and are
calculated from unrounded data.

Includes automobile loans and all other loans not
included in revolving credit, such as loans for mobile homes,
education, boats,
trailers, or vacations. These loans may be secured or unsecured.

Flow data represent changes in the level of credit due to
economic and financial activity, and exclude breaks in the data series due
to changes in methodology, source data, and other technical aspects of the
estimation that could affect the level of credit.

Interest rates are annual percentage rates (APR)
as specified by the Federal Reserve's Regulation Z. Interest rates for
new-car loans
and personal loans at commercial banks are simple unweighted averages of
each bank's most common rate charged during the first calendar
week of the middle month of each quarter. For credit card accounts, the
rate for all accounts is the stated APR averaged across all
credit card accounts at all reporting banks. The rate for accounts
assessed interest is the annualized ratio of total finance charges
at all reporting banks to the total average daily balances against which
the finance charges were assessed (excludes accounts for
which no finance charges were assessed).

The statistical foundation for these series has
deteriorated. Therefore, publication of these
series is
temporarily being suspended. The statistical foundation is in the
process of being improved, and publication will resume as soon as
possible.

Consumer loans held by the federal government include loans originated by the Department of Education under the Federal Direct
Loan Program, as well as Federal Family Education Loan Program loans that the government purchased from depository institutions and finance companies.

Outstanding balances of pools upon which securities have been issued; these balances are no longer carried on the balance sheets
of the loan originators.

The shift of consumer credit from pools of securitized assets to other categories is largely due to financial institutions'
implementation of the FAS 166/167 accounting rules.